Lee Hood resigns

The University of Mount Union has announced that Lee Hood has resigned his position as head men’s basketball coach.

Hood has a 250-246 record and was named Ohio Athletic Conference coach of the year in 1997 as he led the Purple Raiders to a school-record 25 wins, OAC regular season and tournament titles and claimed the school’s first-ever men’s basketball NCAA Tournament bid.

Mount Union will immediately begin a search for a new head men’s basketball coach.

Kent tops Pitt, 10-7

PITTSBURGH

The Kent State baseball team earned a 10-7 victory over Pittsburgh in the first ever game at Charles L. Cost Field.

The Golden Flashes (8-6) reached double digits in hits for the fourth time this season.

Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey head a 24-man roster as the United States brings in most of its top players for exhibition games against Argentina and Paraguay.

Players will start gathering Sunday in Cary, N.C., for training. The U.S. plays Argentina on March 26 in East Rutherford, N.J., and Paraguay three days later in Nashville, Tenn.

Three players with no previous national team experience were selected Wednesday by U.S. coach Bob Bradley: Nuremberg defender Timothy Chandler, Duisburg goalkeeper David Yelldell and Norwich defender Zak Whitbread.

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann and defender Jay DeMerit were selected for the first time since the World Cup.

Muhammad Ali asks Iran to free US hikers

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Boxing champ Muhammad Ali is seeking the release of two American hikers from Iran by lobbying the country’s supreme leader in a way that few American dignitaries can: as a brother in Islam.

Arguably the most prominent U.S. Muslim, Ali made his simple, behind-the scenes appeal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February and released his letter to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Ali’s wife said he would be willing to return to the country, which he’s visited twice before, to work on the hikers’ release if his health allows.

The letter asks Khameini to release Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who have been held on espionage charges since July 2009, when they were arrested while hiking in northern Iraq near the Iranian border.

Sacramento Kings file trademark names

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

The Sacramento Kings have taken yet another step toward a potential move to Southern California.

A Sacramento attorney representing the team’s owners filed for at least four federal trademark registrations this month as they explore a move to Anaheim.

Among the names filed for according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website were: Anaheim Royals, Anaheim Royals of Southern California, Orange County Royals and Los Angeles Royals. The filing was made by attorney Scott Hervey on behalf of the Crickets Corp.

Ochocinco ordered to pay Ohio store $12,000

CINCINNATI

An Ohio judge says Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco dropped the ball when it came to paying clothes bills.

The store, which is owned by AMM One Inc., says that on shopping trips in late 2008 and early 2009, the player took items including a $575 Al Wissam Bomber coat, $400 Mauri alligator shoes and $350 Laguna beach jeans but never paid for them.